Six Sigma (Knowles)

Six Sigma (Knowles) Chapters 1-5 – pp. 10-39; Chapters 10-12 – pp. 63-86http://www.goleansixsigma.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/The-Basics-of-Lean-Six-Sigma-www.GoLeanSixSigma.com_.pdfhttp://www.goleansixsigma.com/lean-six-sigma-step-by-step/

Supplemental reading:http://www.michailolidis.gr/pdf/KAIZEN08.pdfhttp://academic.uprm.edu/ispeprsc/media/(2012.04.28)_Principles_of_Lean_Six_Sigma_2012.pdfLean Six Sigma: Research and Practice (Antony, Kumar) Ch. 2, Lean Six Sigma: Exploring future potential and challenges – pp. 35-45

Part 1

Read the article “Why You Can Safely Ignore Six Sigma” in Fortune Magazine, Jan. 22, 2001 (available at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2001/01/22/295545/index.htm). Do you agree with its criticism of the Six Sigma approach? Some things to ponder are:

• Do the results of Six Sigma have an impact on the financial statements, and therefore on stock value?
• Is Six Sigma only valuable to early adopters?
• Does Six Sigma apply to the service industry, since it focuses on defects, which are difficult to identify in services?
• Does Six Sigma help products find a market?

Please answer in 200 words or more. As usual, use your own words – please do not copy and paste from a web site. Be sure to reference your sources.

Part 2

This week’s Written Assignment can be found in this document. Please use this spreadsheet as a reference.

Part 3

In the learning journal, you should record your activities, and record problems you may have encountered, as well as your notes and thoughts about the material. In addition, you should consider the following questions for reflection:

If you have to implement a continuous improvement methodology in your organization, how will you deal with resistance to change from various stakeholders?

Please answer these questions in 300 words or more. Your answer should reflect your personal experience and should be thoughtful and introspective.